Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie and Lettie Cowman met in Bath, England shortly before World War II broke out.
She brought him astonishing and encouraging news.
No one, including either of them, saw it coming.
Opinions about Haile Selassie range wide, even today.
This post is not going to defend him–I don’t know enough.
Instead, it will tell about a surprising word God gave Lettie to share and how it encouraged a beleaguered man.
Who was Haile Selassie?
Born into the Ethoipian royal family in 1892 (The Ethiopian Empire, or Abysinia, is a nation near the horn of Africa.) He became the country’s emperor in 1930.
According to Wikipedia, “He was a member of the Solomonic dynasty, which claims to trace lineage to Emperor Menelik I, believed to be the son of King Solomon and Makeda, the Queen of Sheba.”
Selassie also was identified with the Rastafarianism–whose followers believed him to be the second coming of Jesus.
Five years after he assumed the throne, Italy invaded his country.
With his family, Selassie went into exile in England. They lived in Bath from 1936-1941.
How did Emperor Haile Selassie and Lettie Cowman meet?
It’s not completely clear.
They both knew Bible College of Wales’ president Rees Howells.
Several of Selassie’s children attended the school during the family’s British exile.
Selassie and Lettie met through Howells, or through the mutual friend of all three: Sanfrid and Anna-Liisa Mattson of Finland.
The Mattsons met Selassie in London. They prayed with him about his country and he promised to invite them to Ethiopia as missionaries if he returned to the throne.
Lettie said the Emperor invited her to a meal after hearing of her visit to Prince Farouk in Egypt iearlier that summer.
Lettie received an invitation to tea at the Emperor’s home-in-exile in Bath, 115 miles northwest of London.
She delayed her return to the United States to attend.
Her friends the Mattsons were also invited and the three arrived on August 24, 1937.
What to say, what to gift, an Emperor?
A friend gave Lettie funds to purchase an appropriate dress for the meeting held at Fairfield House.
Selassie, Lettie, and the Mattsons enjoyed a “sumptuous meal” with his family before moving to the salon to exchange gifts.
She always carried copies of Streams in the Desert to give away and gifted the Emperor with a leather-bound copy. For his daughters, she carried pink leather copies of one of her favorite devotionals: Daily Light on the Daily Path.
Intrigued by the book, Selassie asked Lettie to tell him about it. As she described the devotional–both how she wrote it and what it addressed— the Emperor grew thoughtful.
“He listened attentively before commenting, “My people in Abyssinia are broken-hearted. They need divine comfort. Could not this book minister to them? May I translate it for them?”
Overflowing Faith, page 166
One of the princesses volunteered to translate the book from English into Amharic, the Ethiopian language.
He also commented, “My only happy moments are with the Bible.”
The gift of a prophetic word
Lettie spent many hours and prayer every day and tried not to do or say anything unusual without God’s directions.
What word did God have for Selassie and Lettie, both?
The night before their meeting, God brought her to Isaiah 54:7-10, which began with an assurance: “For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.”
Lettie explained what the passage meant before delivering a prophetic gift:
“As God’s prophet, she stands and declares the Word of the Lord–God will restore His Imperial Majesty to his throne. He will return to him his empire. He will gather him and his people with great mercies. God’s kindness shall not depart from him, nor the covenant of his peace be removed from Ethiopia. Except to the ears of faith, such a message seems utterly fantastic.”
The Vision Lives p. 183-184
Haile Selassie, scorned and avoided by so many, appreciated Lettie’s message.
“You are the only person since I have been in England who has ever come to speak to me in this way about the Lord Jesus Christ. We deeply appreciate it.”
No Guarantee But God, p. 89
Selassie returned to the throne of Ethiopia in 1941. He reigned for 30 years.
Selassie and Lettie in Hollywood
The two met once more, during a private 1954 visit the Ethiopian Emperor made to see Lettie in her Hollywood, California home.
No one took any photos, but they sat together in Lettie’s sun-filled living room overlooking her beloved rose garden.
He brought her a candelabra and an Ethiopian rug, still grateful for her encouragement.
(His far more publicized visit was to the White House. You can see the video here).
I do not know Haile Selassie’s true faith, nor did Lettie. God sent her to visit an emperor one day and deliver a reassuring word.
Still, a requested meeting with an Emperor doesn’t come every day–and Lettie always sought ways to tell others about Jesus.
That’s all we can do when we get a word from God.
God sends us. We go forth. The outcome belongs to Him.
Tweetables
Haille Selassie and Lettie Cowman–a curious meeting before WWII. Click to Tweet
What would an old woman from Iowa say to the Emperor of Ethiopia? Click to Tweet
Love the story about Ethiopian emperor and Lettie. I am not able to retrieve the pictures. Is there a way that I can read your column with the pictures? I purchased Streams in the Desert for my devotional this year.
Intriguing story! I shared it on FB.
Nice to see you, Rich! Thanks.